The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy maintains this blog to disseminate information relevant to astronomers who identify as women. If you have an idea for a blog post or topic, please submit to wia-blog at lists.aas.org.
The views expressed on this site are not necessarily the views of the CSWA, the AAS, its Board of Trustees, or its membership.

Friday, September 13, 2019

AASWomen Newsletter for September 13, 2019

AAS Committee on the Status of WomenAAS Committee on the Status of WomenIssue of September 13, 2019eds: JoEllen McBride, Nicolle Zellner, Heather Flewelling, Maria Patterson, and Alessandra Aloisi

[We have a *new email address* for receiving submissions to the newsletter: aaswomen_at_lists.aas.org. An editor will reply with a confirmation of receipt. Please update us in your contacts, and thank you for your submissions. --eds.]From item #10This week's issues:

"In order to familiarize the astronomy community with the AAS Board and encourage participation, the CSWA created a Reflection Survey for outgoing AAS Board members to complete after their terms ended in June. Over the coming weeks, we will feature the responses we've received on the Women in Astronomy blog. Enjoy!

James Lowenthal is Mary Elizabeth Moses Professor and Chair of Astronomy at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. He received his BS in Physics and Astronomy from Yale in 1986 and his PhD in Astronomy from the University of Arizona in 1991. He did postdoctoral work at the Johns Hopkins University and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore and as a Hubble Fellow at the University of California Santa Cruz."

Back to top.2. AAS Climate Site Visit program launchesFrom: Nancy Morrison [nancyastro126_at_gmail.com]

The AAS Climate Site Visit program is under way. At the invitation of a department's chair or an institute's director, a three-person site visit team will spend a day and a half with the organization, conduct interviews in order to assess the climate, and draft a report with actionable recommendations. Organizations will benefit by receiving constructive feedback from neutral, highly-qualified peers.

Tuesday, November 19 to Wednesday, November 20, 2019 University of Washington, Husky Union Building 4001 East Stevens Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98195

"This Summit aims to identify and elevate promising practices for preventing sexual harassment in higher education. Through a combination of plenary sessions, panel discussions, and concurrent sessions, this day-and-a-half event will serve as an opportunity for members of the Action Collaborative and the broader higher education community to gather information, engage in a dialogue, and gain diverse perspectives on how to effectively prevent sexual harassment." ... "We welcome you to join us in-person or virtually through an interactive webcast. The deadline to register to participate in-person is Wednesday, November 6, 2019."

Back to top.4. How to banish manels and manferences from scientific meetingsFrom: JoEllen McBride [joellen.mcbride_at_gmail.com] and Alessandra Aloisi [aloisi_at_stsci.edu]By Holly Else

"Nancy Amato didn’t want to go to Las Vegas. In 2015, it was the chosen venue for one of the main events in her field — the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). But she and other women involved in organizing it felt that the city, famed for its strip clubs, was unsuitable. Among the first achievements of the organizing committee — which that year was all-female — was moving the conference to Seattle in Washington."

"Women innovators across the United States have been selected as AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassadors by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Lyda Hill Philanthropies to share their stories and serve as high-profile role models for middle-school girls."

Back to top.6. Women hold one in five top science and tech jobsFrom: Alessandra Aloisi [aloisi_at_stsci.edu]

By Georgina Evans and Kate Ryan

"Women hold one in five top jobs in science, technology, maths and engineering globally, which slows down innovation, according to a study of research institutions..

While women made up more than 50% of higher education students in those subjects - known collectively as STEM - their numbers fell dramatically with seniority, found a study by the University of Michigan and the New York Stem Cell Foundation."

Back to top.7. TED talks get a spike in 10 years: Influential speeches become new career option for womenFrom: Alessandra Aloisi [aloisi_at_stsci.edu]

"Women gave more than half of TED talks - influential speeches from experts on a range of issues -- in the first half of 2017, up from less than one-third in 2006, according to a study. However, the study published in the journal Political Research Exchange also found that ethnic minorities remain under-represented as TED speakers, giving just one in five talks over the same time period."

Back to top.9. Overcoming Ice and Stereotypes at the Bottom of the WorldFrom: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]

By Karina Peggau

"The year 1969 was monumental. It is remembered in popular culture for the Moon landing, the Stonewall riots, and Woodstock. But it also marked an important breakthrough for diversity within the scientific community. Fifty years ago, four women made history as the first all-female team to conduct research in Antarctica and to venture to the South Pole. In doing so, these brave pioneers set an example for women in polar science and beyond for years to come.

Today, women account for roughly one third of all scientists visiting Antarctica ..."

Back to top.10. A physics department fosters an inclusive environmentFrom: Alessandra Aloisi [aloisi_at_stsci.edu]

by Heather Hill

"The syllabus for physics professor Erin De Pree’s mechanics course at St Mary’s College of Maryland starts like any other. But after a list of topics and a schedule of assignments and exams, things get more unusual, with sections on academic accessibility, sexual misconduct, and discriminatory behavior. Laying out a clear set of behavioral expectations is one part of the physics department’s efforts to prevent harassment and encourage inclusivity."

To submit an item to the AASWOMEN newsletter, including replies to topics, send email to aaswomen_at_lists.aas.org

All material will be posted unless you tell us otherwise, including your email address.

When submitting a job posting for inclusion in the newsletter, please include a one-line description and a link to the full job posting.

Please remember to replace "_at_" in the e-mail address above.

Back to top.13. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

Join AAS Women List by email:

Send an email to aaswomen_at_lists.aas.org. A list moderator will add your email to the list. They will reply to your message to confirm that they have added you.

Join AAS Women List through the online portal:

Go to https://lists.aas.org/postorius/lists/aaswlist.lists.aas.org and enter the email address you wish to subscribe in the ‘Your email address’ field. You will receive an email from ‘aaswlist-confirm’ that you must reply to. There may be a delay between entering your email and receiving the confirmation message. Check your Spam or Junk mail folders for the message if you have not received it after 2 hours.

To unsubscribe from AAS Women by email:

Send an email to aaswlist-leave_at_lists.aas.org from the email address you wish to remove from the list. You will receive an email from 'aaswlist-confirm' that you must reply to which will complete the unsubscribe.